Field-mediated self-assembly and actuation of highly parallel microfluidic devices

We present a macroscopic approach for the fabrication and actuation of microscale pumps in microfluidic environments. By applying a combination of rotating and static magnetic fields we overcome two fundamental issues preventing development of nanoscale systems: how does one assemble components in situ and how does one power these devices once in place? By using macroscopic fields we avoid the need for individual particle micromanipulation allowing for both scale down to the nanoscale and “scale up” to the simultaneous assembly and control of highly parallel device networks.